U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Sunday walked back comments describing Israel’s control of the Golan Heights as an occupation, saying he had been referring to the territory’s historical status.
“United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” Barrack said in a statement to The Associated Press. He said his remarks were “not an endorsement of the United Nations’ position” on the territory, which Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day War and extended sovereignty over in 1981.
Barrack had said on Friday that Israel “still occupies” the Golan Heights, prompting Defense Minister Israel Katz to note he was contradicting the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty there.
Katz said that Barrack’s remarks were “riddled with inaccuracies and positions that contradict those of U.S. President Trump himself regarding the status of the Golan Heights.”
Barrack’s comments also drew backlash in Washington. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wrote on X that the ambassador appeared to have “forgotten” Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
On March 25, 2019, Trump signed Proclamation 9852 recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau. On Aug. 10, 2026, Colombia’s Foreign Ministry announced Bogota’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, becoming the second country to officially endorse Jerusalem’s claim to the territory.
